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Fragrance Industry’s Pivotal Journey Toward Greater Sustainability. Perfumer &Flavorist, Oct 1st,
2024, p40. https://www.perfumerflavorist.com/fragrance/regulatory-research/article/22917666/ifra-
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competitiveness/eu-competitive​ness-looking-ahead_en

56
J. Cosmet. Sci., 76.1, 56–70 (January/February 2025)
*Address all correspondence to Shawn Eady, shawn@sironix.eco
Oleo-Furan Sulfonates: Bio-Renewable and Versatile
Surfactants Platform for Formulation of Mild Personal Care
Products
SHAWN EADY, MANSI GOKANI, SABRINA CONRAD, TYLER ROBISON,
MICHELLE CRUZ AND CHRISTOPH KRUMM
Sironix Renewables, Seattle, Washington, United States (S.E., M.G., S.C., T.R., M.C., C.K.)
Accepted for publication January 28, 2025.
Synopsis
The transition to bio-based surfactants with lower carbon footprints in consumer products has allowed
product formulators to adapt in a rapidly changing regulatory environment and to meet the growing
customer demand for safe, sustainable ingredients. This study explores oleo-furan sulfonates, a new class of
anionic surfactants sourced from cellulosic agricultural waste and renewable plant oils, as fully bio-renewable
alternatives to ether sulfate surfactants for use in consumer products. This structurally versatile surfactants
platform reduces life cycle carbon emissions by nearly 50% compared to incumbent anionic surfactants
while avoiding regulated, carcinogenic byproducts present in many cleaning and personal care products.
The properties of oleo-furan sulfonates, including foam generation, fabric wetting kinetics, critical micelle
concentration, dermal irritation, and hard water tolerance, are compared to the state-of-the-art in commercial
anionic surfactants. Formulation development with oleo-furan sulfonates demonstrated compatibility across
a broad range of personal care product ingredients to yield body wash gels shelf stable for over six months.
Solid format formulations prepared with 100% active oleo-furan sulfonate powders readily hydrate to form
a mild body wash exhibiting a creamy gel texture and rich lather with viscosities in the range of 14,000 and
20,000 cps.
INTRODUCTION
The substitution of plant-based surfactants for petrochemical and non-renewably sourced
surfactants in consumer products has been an ongoing effort spanning several decades.1–3
This transition has in part been motivated by increased consumer demand for eco-friendly
products as well as the drive to reduce carbon emissions and pollution in manufacturing,
both major contributing factors toward climate change.4,5 Considering the essential role that
surfactants serve in the formulation of a wide range of consumer and industrial products, this
shift has been a massive undertaking, and has generated impressive results to date. Thanks
to these efforts, bio-based surfactants can now be derived from a myriad of renewable
sources, including lipids, carbohydrates, and lignin, among others.6–9 Additionally, these